


Rome, Season 1, Episode 2, How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: Rome (TV 2005)
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s01e02 How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 01, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 11:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.





	Rome, Season 1, Episode 2, How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic

Open to Gaul. Posca is giving a report to Caesar. Three men have deserted, and Posca points out everyone has been getting restless since the fighting ended. Caesar insists none of the good men will run.

Posca asks what’s going to happen when Caesar’s term runs out and Caesar is still sitting in Gaul. Caesar doesn’t actually answer the question. Instead, he says Posca being a slave precludes him from understanding the tricky nature of understanding the motivating of soldiers. Posca is sarcastic, and Caesar is amused.

Going through some scrolls, Posca finds a bag of money. It turns out: Caesar has entered Antony into politics, and he intends to buy many votes for him.

Posca is horrified, and I can’t say I blame him one bit. He starts to say Antony is something, realises it might not be a good idea to label his master’s friend, since any accurate labels could easily be construed as insults, and pauses.

“You may speak,” Caesar says.

It turns out being a tribune is a sacred position, and one of the powers they have is the ability to veto the Senate. “An office of great dignity and seriousness,” Posca pointedly declares.

Caesar still wants Antony to have the position, but he decides to send Strabo, a silent man who has been in the tent the whole time, along to make sure Antony behaves himself.

Yes, I’m sure the old, quiet man, who is presumably a slave, will have no trouble at all keeping someone like Antony in line.

Speaking of Antony, the man in question is having sex with a woman against a tree while the rest of the soldiers wait patiently on the road.

One interpretation I read of this scene was Antony was raping the woman. I don’t know if this is actually what was intended or not, but the first time I saw this scene, the thought of rape never entered my mind.

As this is happening, Pullo expresses his happiness about being close to home in his own crude way. Vorenus snaps at him to show some dignity.

Nodding towards Antony, Pullo says, “Well, talk to him.”

If Vorenus could, Vorenus would.

Pullo explains to Octavian that Vorenus is terrified of seeing his wife after eight years. Puzzled, Octavian says, “Surely, a reunion is a happy event.”

Vorenus tells them to talk of something else, but Pullo explains Niobe could have lost her teeth, gotten skinny, or been sleeping around.

“Silence,” Vorenus orders.

Finishing, Antony heads back to his horse with a victory motion.

I hate this character so much.

The citizens of Rome, however, do not share my feelings. A huge crowd surrounds him. People throw flowers, call his name, and touch him. One man hugs him.

Pompey, Cato, who’s wearing a brown toga instead of his customary black one, and several other men watch the crowd. Pompey isn’t happy, but Cato assures him they have men of standard on their side.

Unfortunately, this is an insult to the common people’s love towards Antony and not necessarily towards Antony himself.

On a step of the Senate, Antony hopes this won’t take long. Ordering Vorenus to dismiss the men, take Octavian home, and then, to relieve himself of duty until Antony sends for him, he then tells Octavian to inform Atia he’ll see her shortly.

At the Julii home, Atia is angry to find Glabius with her daughter, but he insists Octavia is his rightful wife. She declares, if she weren’t a genteel woman, she’d have him flayed and hung. Then, she calls for a slave to fetch the dogs.

Glabius quickly leaves, and Atia insists, “I tell you, my honey, you are well rid of that one.”

“I hate you,” is Octavia’s response. She grabs her mother.

In response, Atia slaps her. “Silly girl.”

Octavia goes to her room to sobs.

Atia complains to her slave she’s only trying to do the best for her daughter.

This is one of the most interesting aspects of Atia: she’s a horrible villainess throughout the series, and she does horrible things to her children, but it’s clear she does have some form of genuine love them, and though she’s often wrong it being so, most of what she does to and for them is what she believes is for their own good.

The slave comforts her by saying Octavia is young.

They hear a slave greeting Octavian, and Atia rushes to see him. “My poor rabbit.” Fussing over him in a self-centered way, she finally notices the duo standing in the background.

Octavian introduces them as his friends. Vorenus politely excuses both of them, but Atia insists on giving them a reward. When Vorenus says it’s not necessary, Atia asks if he’s sure as she doesn’t want to break any regulations. Octavian says they’re staying to eat, and they’ll sit down to eat with the rest of the family.

Hearing Octavia crying, he shows concern, but Atia dismisses it as women’s troubles.

During a religious ceremony, Antony is visibly bored.

At the Julii household, Pullo doesn’t know how many men he’s killed. Vorenus, however, is able to give an exact number due to the fact precise numbers are expected when giving an offering.

This is the first scene to show how Pullo and Vorenus have more in common than it seems.

They share a strong religious streak, although, it manifests differently in them. Vorenus is respectful of the deities, whereas, Pullo occasionally brings up philosophical musings and more-than-once tries to bargain with different deities. Vorenus shows his trust in the priests and follows religious ceremonies. Pullo, however, believes priests are crooks and talks directly to whatever deity he’s doing business with.

Atia sides with Vorenus, and Octavian remarks Vorenus is a strict Catonian.

Despite being a pleb, Vorenus doesn’t want change. He believes the nobles have a divine right to be in charge. Octavian, however, points out all the suffering and homelessness in Rome. He says the nobles believe Caesar wants to march into Rome and make himself king.

Declaring this sacrilege, Vorenus insists no man of honour would follow him.

Naturally, Pullo declares he’d follow Caesar. He expresses his belief Caesar should ride in with elephants and squash Pompey, Cato, and the others.

He’s given this some serious thought, hasn’t he?

Atia smoothes things over by blaming herself for mixing politics with wine, offers them more food, and opines they make unlikely friends.

They make it clear they’re not friends.

There’ve been arguments and debates over the exact nature of their relationship since the show started and possibly even before. Some people view them as surrogate brothers, some view one or both of them as having sexual/romantic feelings toward the other, and some view them as simply close friends. There were people who hoped the show would eventually make them lovers, and people who desperately hoped the show wouldn’t.

To me, whether there’s anything romantic/sexual or not, these two are soulmates. Later in the series, they deeply love one another. They risk their lives for one another, cross lines for the other, and even when they’re on different sides, they still look out for each other. I don’t think soulmates necessarily have to be lovers, though, they can be. A person can find their soulmate in a blood family member or in their platonic best mate.

Therefore, I’ve never cared much about the whole debate. It’s interesting to analyse, but to me, the fact they show unrelenting deep love and devotion towards one another is all that really needs to be said about them.

Vorenus asks Atia to forgive them for their vulgar ways. Declaring they aren’t fit for her presence, he insists they leave.

Pointing out Octavian needs reliable friends, she tells them to visit again.

“As you say, Madam,” he answers.

When they walk out, Pullo turns to look at the bottom of a passing woman. He starts to go one way, but Vorenus says he needs to go the other way to get home. Surprising him, Pullo gives a salute and non-sarcastically says, “Go with fortune, sir.”

Returning the salute, Vorenus directs Pullo where to find the cleaner brothels.

Going to the complex where his house is, Vorenus finds his wife holding a baby.

Out of all the characters I feel sorry for, Niobe is in the top three. If it weren’t for who she slept with, she’d likely have full audience sympathy. As it’ll be established later, someone made a mistake, she thought she was a widow, and she tried to move on with her life. Due to the horribly patriarchal society she lives in and Vorenus’s insistence on putting convention before common sense and natural human responses, death is an unfortunately real threat for her.

Seeing him, she manages to get out, “You’re alive.”

He angrily demands to know, “What child is that?”

It’s a good thing his wife wasn’t just holding the baby for a friend, or he’d have really come off as a no-class fool.

She answers the child is his grandson, and his response to the wife he hasn’t seen in eight years is, “Speak sense, whore.” He moves to attack the woman holding an infant, our protagonist for bad and worst, and she insists their oldest daughter had the baby. She reminds him said daughter is thirteen. He asks who the father is, and the answer is a drover’s boy.

Angry, she hisses, in reference to the baby, “His name is Lucius.”

Walking away, she ignores his commands to stop. Inside, she quickly hands the baby to her oldest daughter with the explanation their father is home. He comes in, and she says, “Daughters, this is your father.”

I do like the way he looks at the two girls and tries to smile. He obviously loves them but has no clue how to express this. Saying he’s pleased to find them healthy and good-looking, he compliments Niobe’s beauty while making a self-deprecating joke about his looks. He makes a move towards the youngest daughter, and she must have either been a baby or still in her mother’s womb when he left. It’s obvious by the way she fearfully backs away she doesn’t know him at all.

Niobe has the two girls kneel down to greet him.

Meanwhile, Antony’s religious ceremony is still going on.

At the Vorenii house, the Vorenii family stands behind an eating Vorenus. He’s annoyed with the baby’s crying. Niobe dismisses the girls, and it’s revealed the paymaster told her Vorenus was dead.

Some part of Vorenus has subconsciously put together what happened, but in his way, he does love Niobe and their daughters. Therefore, he goes along with the lies until he’s forcibly confronted with the truth.

She’s understandably unhappy with being called a whore, especially in public. Apologising, he admits he was wrong to do so.

Personally, I think a trained soldier trying to attack a defenceless civilian holding a baby is a sight worse than misogynist insults being hurled, but neither of them bring this part up.

Giving him some more food, she asks how he likes it.

Determined to keeping painting himself as a horrible person, he complains there’s too much salt.

After publicly embarrassing her and trying to attack her and the baby, he’s lucky she didn’t add poison. Since this is fiction, if she had, I’d be overjoyed.

He asks how Niobe managed to get by without the pay he sent, and she tells him her sister, Lyde, and brother-in-law helped out.

On a side note, it's never said within the show, but following ancient Roman naming conventions, Lyde must be Niobe's half-sister. If she were her full sister, they'd have the same name and be differentiated by age the way Vorena the Elder and Vorena the Younger are. I really like the show doing this, not because of my dislike in the misogyny inherent in ancient Roman naming conventions, but because, there's no need to make a big deal about it. Blood and legal status don't matter: They are and always will be, even through heavy, hurtful times, simply sisters.

Back to the review, Vorenus empties his pouch. It contains money and the phalluses of two men he killed. He explains he also has official spoils in the form of slaves, and they’re being kept in the market. When he tells her how much money they’ll bring in, she’s genuinely happy for a moment, but he ruins it by creepily staring at her.

Elsewhere, Pullo is wandering around drunk. Eventually, finding himself in a betrothal, he has rough sex.

In the next scene, Antony is struggling to stay awake during the ceremony. Finally, it’s over, and he sighs, “About time.” Getting up, he declares, “I need a drink.”

Rushing after him, Strabo agrees, “Indeed, sir. Perhaps, after the meeting?”

Bless him, the poor man is actually trying despite knowing how utterly unqualified he is for this unfair task Caesar has given him.

In the Julii household, the senators are having a secret meeting, and Atia expresses her excitement. Antony comes in, and he immediately lays on the charm by complimenting her beauty and kissing her hand.

It’s obvious the Senators didn’t know about Antony’s new appointment, and after recovering, Cato complains about Antony still being dressed as a soldier. Antony uses his talent of managing to sound passably sincere whilst being wholly sarcastic to embarrass Cato. Cicero manages to get Antony to let it rest, but Cato becomes further offended.

Commenting she feels like Helen of Troy, Atia leads everyone to the courtyard.

Out there, Octavian eavesdrops on Antony explaining to Pompey and the others Caesar is willing to accept a single legion of men after his term is over. He wants control over a providence since this will give him legal immunity from anything they might throw at him. Pompey simply wants Caesar to resign; he says, by accepting a few years banishment, Caesar can avoid prosecution. Antony incredulously asks what Caesar has done deserving of banishment.

Cato repeats the list from last episode, and Antony asks what Pompey’s punishment should be for aligning himself with the so-called nobles and turning against a friend and the common people. Trying to keep Pompey calm, Cicero says Caesar’s term ends in two weeks, but Antony counters with six months. Pompey rants, and Antony points out Caesar has more legions than just the 13th. He makes it clear, if Caesar doesn’t get his providence, he’ll take any measure necessary to look out for his interests.

It’s established they won’t give in, and Antony notes the meeting is over, then.

As Pompey and the Senators walk, Pompey insists this is a bluff to try to hide Caesar’s weakness. Cicero urges caution.

Meanwhile, wandering around drunk, Pullo ends up in a tavern. He joins a gambling table. They suggest him keeping quiet about him being part of the 13th due to him being in a deeply Pompeian place. His response is, “So? We’re all Romans, ay?”

At the Vorenus home, the baby cries in a makeshift crib, and Vorenus pounds into Niobe. Unsurprisingly, given the crying baby and the nasty way Vorenus has treated her, she endures it in unhappy silence.

Later, he sleeps, and she lies quietly.

Over at the Julii house, a slave arranges flowers. An enthusiastic Atia and Antony have sex. Octavia is forced to listen from her room, and trying to ignore the sounds, Strabo writes Caesar a letter assuring Caesar that Antony did his job of offending Pompey and the others.

Strabo doesn’t add Antony hasn’t offended the people Caesar wants on his side, probably, because, he knows, by the time the letter’s delivered, Antony will have managed to.

At the tavern, Pullo is going through a losing streak, and he gets angry with one of the men. Another man calms the two down. Pullo loses the last of his money. Then, he discovers the other man has been cheating. In response, he stabs a knife right through his neck.

A brawl breaks out, a fire is started, and Pullo is hit on the head. Keeping his hands on the wall, he dazedly tries to make his way out.

In the morning, there’s a shot of someone climbing a ladder to change a clock/calendar.

Then, Pullo bursts into the Vorenus household.

Naturally, Niobe is scared. Seeing her husband’s reaction, she asks who the man is. Catching Pullo, he orders her to get a doctor. She complains about not wanting people dying in her house, and I have to side with Vorenus when he snaps for her to listen to him.

Later, the whole complex has shown up to watch Pullo have his skull cut open and a plate inserted into it.

Is Vorenus sure the doctors aren’t trying to make extra money by performing an unnecessary procedure? I mean, couldn’t they have told Vorenus to let Pullo rest but to be careful not to let him sleep too much? Maybe given him some herbs and suggested applying a cold or hot rag? The doctor does remove something from Pullo’s brain before inserting the plate, but I’m not convinced it was something which needed to be removed.

Amusingly, unlike the many disturbed people, Vorena the Younger is just casually sitting around watching the procedure.

Later, Pullo is asleep in bed, and Vorenus pays. The doctor explains what the after-effects will be. Vorenus asks when Pullo will wake up, and there’s a chance he never will. The doctor suggests a white rabbit in offering to one of the deities before saying he’ll send his assistant to check the dressings tomorrow.

Inside, Niobe isn’t happy with having to clean the blood, and she’s shrill when Vorenus starts to leave for business.

I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to be left alone in a house with someone I knew nothing about. I also wouldn’t want to be left alone with a sick/injured person who might die at any minute. Add the children she’s responsible for protecting, and Niobe isn’t being irrational.

Instead of trying to comfort his wife and show he does care about her and her feelings, Vorenus acknowledges her unhappiness but demands she speak in what he considers a respectful tone.

He leaves, and she yells after him, “My father’s cock! How’s that for tone?”

At the market, the slave handler advises Vorenus to feed the slaves well for a few weeks so they’re not all skin-and-bones.

Meanwhile, at a gladiator fight, Pompey tells Cicero that Scipio will put an ultimatum before the Senate, and Pompey asks Cicero to support it. He declares the moderates all follow Cicero. Cicero asks what the ultimatum is.

Either Caesar resign his command, disband his legions, and return to Rome for trial, or he’ll be considered an enemy of the state.

Cicero points out Caesar won’t accept. “You are declaring war.”

Pompey points out Antony will immediately use his veto powers. Cicero asks what the purpose of doing it is, then. Pompey explains, once Caesar hears how many people voted in favour, he’ll realise how alone he is.

Calling Caesar a tyrant, Cicero says, personal feelings aside, he can’t vote for a measure he doesn’t want to see realised. Despite the historical Cicero’s agnosticism, he characterises doing so as irreligious.

Pompey answers, unless he gets the vote, he and his legions will leave for Spain and leave Rome defenceless.

To me, denying subjects’ protection unless they bow to one’s personal whims fits the definition of tyranny more than anything Caesar’s done so far.

In the complex’s outside area, Vorenus yells at the boy who supposedly impregnated his daughter. He declares she’s his property and the boy should have asked permission to have sex with her. He says he’s within his rights to kill the boy, and when his daughter tries to protest, he shows his paternal side by using misogynist language towards her.

Niobe insists they’re in love and the boy is from a good family.

I have to wonder how this poor boy was roped into agreeing to claim to be the father of a baby who isn’t even actually the supposed mother’s child. Are he and Vorena the Elder friends, dating, or do his parents owe Niobe a big favour?

Calming down, Vorenus observes there’s money in droving, and the boy nervously and politely agrees. Vorenus asks when the boy is a man, and the answer is next month. Exasperated, Vorenus says the boy can marry Vorena the Elder, and he’ll have the dowry sent.

Relieved, Niobe kisses the boy before following Vorenus inside.

Awake, Pullo eavesdrops.

Vorenus refuses to be happy about any of this due to his gross belief he has a right to control his daughter’s sexuality.

Really, I can understand a parent not being happy about their thirteen-year-old child being a parent. I can understand them being disappointed, angry, and embarrassed, but through everything, the primary concern should be for their child and the baby.

He calls their daughter an idiot, and Niobe rightfully calls him a brute. He walks over, and it’s clear she believes he’s going to hit her. Thankfully, he simply walks out. Noticing Pullo’s awake, Niobe tries not to cry.

In the Senate, Scipio gives the ultimatum.

To Antony’s amusement, only a few stand in favour.

Making a decision, Cicero stands, and showing he has a large amount of influence, many people follow.

Somehow, a fight breaks out.

Cicero yells at a bewildered Antony to stand up and use his power to veto the motion. Heh.

Standing, Antony demands the floor. He repeatedly yells out his veto.

However, later, the frail announcer is being tended to, and Cierco and Pompey are told Antony’s unheard veto doesn’t count. Pompey doesn’t want his motion pass due to tricks, and offended by Pompey’s word choice, the announcer declares this a religious matter. Thinking quickly, Cicero finds a legal loophole, and he shakes the frail man. The announcer agrees Antony will be able to exercise his veto.

Relieved and likely realising he never should have opened this particular box in the first place, Pompey makes it clear to his men that Antony is not to be harmed.

Later, Strabo tells Antony about the reconvening Senate. He explains Antony can use the veto.

Antony realises Pompey might try to have him harmed to prevent it, and he has Vorenus go assemble the men. “Vorenus. All of them,” he heavily declares.

What’s interesting is Antony isn’t afraid of being hurt, but he is afraid of not being able to exercise the veto. Despite his sociopathic nature, he is fiercely loyal to Caesar. He will do whatever he can to protect and help him.

At the Vorenii house, Pullo is playing with the baby.

There’s nothing to back this, but I have a feeling if he came home to find his wife gave birth to another man’s baby, he’d be angry, but he’d also be too busy bonding with the baby to hurt her. Later, he’d definitely go kill the man, but I have a feeling he’d spare the woman.

Niobe brings him some food and drink. They innocently flirt. Declaring Vorenus is a good man, he says she’s lucky to have him as a husband.

Vorenus comes in, and not hearing this, Niobe unloads to Pullo about how lonely she’s been, how hard it was to raise her daughters alone, especially when the girls kept asking when their father would be back, and how she kept praying Vorenus would come home. Now, Vorenus is, and he hasn’t spared one loving word towards her or their daughters.

Casting him and Vorenus as close friends, Pullo says Vorenus never slept with anyone else. Niobe responds she knows them having such conversations isn’t true due to Vorenus telling her they’re not friends.

True, but last episode, Vorenus did say the gist of what Pullo is claiming.

Making his presence known, Vorenus informs Pullo that Antony needs every man. Niobe puts the baby down, and giving her the last of his money, Vorenus orders her to stay inside with the girls until she knows it’s safe. “It saddens me that you’re unhappy, because, I have deep affection for you. When I return, we’ll talk.”

At the Julii house, Vorenus and Pullo stand guard. Atia tries to get Octavia to talk to Antony. In response, Octavia asks if Atia’s screaming bothers Antony when they’re having sex. She begins imitating her mother.

“She has you exact,” Antony comments to an indifferent Atia.

The next day, a man tells a group of people they’re going to make a show of strength, but they have to be careful not to hurt Antony or otherwise draw blood.

Next, a surrounded Antony is walking, and one of the people in the crowd turns out to be the friend of the man Pullo killed. He attacks, and assuming the knife is meant for Antony, Vorenus shields Antony. Pullo quickly kills the man.

One of the men gives Antony a sword, and everyone draws theirs before surrounding him in a protective circle. He orders, “Rally to me. Rally to me.” They all start backing away when the rest of the crowd advances.

Pompey and the others come out to witness what looks to them to be an unprovoked attack on Antony. He yells, “No blood!”

People on both sides draw blood. Vorenus is hurt, and Pullo half-drags him away.

Going back inside, Pompey declares Cato has gotten what he wanted.

Meanwhile, Antony and his men ride.

Over in Gaul, Caesar is hearing a casualty report of his men, and another man comes to gives him a note. He asks how far behind Antony is, and the answer is an hour or less. He orders a call for assembly to be issued.

In Rome, the newsreader announces Caesar is a traitor. He declares Caesar should be harmed on sight.

Everyone returns to camp, and men lower Vorenus off his horse.

In Caesar’s tent, he’s surprised Pompey would go as far as to try to kill a tribune, especially in the forum.

I have a feeling, if Antony didn’t hold the office, Caesar’s response to Pompey’s supposed attack would be to ask if he needed to pay his frenemy’s fine, protest any further actions, and wonder if Brutus was a part of it so that he could work on making sure his nephew didn’t suffer any consequences. Then, he’d ask exactly what Antony did and punish him for doing it, even if it was a rare instance in which Antony was undeniably not guilty.

Unlike me, Caesar likes Antony, but like me, he’s the one character who has never underestimated him.

With blood on his face, Antony enjoys some food. He blames Cato for putting Pompey up to the attack. Caesar decides they need to see what the men have to say, and when he Antony starts to wash his face, he stops him. “You look just right, as you are.”

They walk, and Caesar asks if there are any people he should mention. Antony tells him about Pullo immediately killing the man who first attacked.

A man kneels down, and Caesar uses him for a stepping stool onto the horse. On it, he gives rousing speech. Then, he calls Pullo forward.

Pullo was enjoying the speech until this moment.

However, Caesar praises him for drawing first blood in protecting Antony before giving him a pouch of money. Pullo promises to come to Rome to help Caesar fight Pompey, and the other soldiers cheer their support.

In the next scene, a little boy is fishing when the 13th cross the creek, and there’s a rare, genuinely cute, sweet moment when Antony winks at him.

Next, in a vehicle of some kind, Pullo is sitting when Vorenus wakes up. Pullo is careful about his answers in an effort to keep Vorenus calm. However, Vorenus eventually figures out what’s going on. Pullo says him, like it or not, they’re both rebels, and he defends Caesar.

Vorenus reveals he’s figured out Pullo was the intended target, but Pullo denies it.

Depressed, Vorenus declares they’ll be hanging from crosses soon. Despite his further declaration it would be better to die from thirst, Pullo coaxes him into drinking some more water.

In Rome, a man runs through the streets yelling Caesar is in Italy.

Over in the Vorenii household, Vorena the Elder bursts in. She asks if Niobe’s heard. Niobe quietly answers in the affirmative. Picking the crying baby up, Vorena the Elder hands him to Niobe. She asks what’s going to happen, and beginning to breastfeeding the baby, Niobe explains war’s going to happen.

Fin.


End file.
